Southfork Ranch, Parker, Texas
by Carl Burnham

Southfork Ranch is a "rich" experience, with memorabilia of the hit Dallas television series at every turn. I grew up watching Dallas, like millions of others, viewing the Ewings vs. the Barnes, the sibling rivalries, the wheeling and dealing, and the latest schemes of J.R. in exerting his power in the "oil bidness" every Friday night on CBS. Starting out as a five episode mini-series over several Sunday nights, it soon became a show, and the popularity grew with every cliffhanger, with fans watching in 96 countries from 1978 to 1991.

A new Dallas show airs on TNT, which showcases the continuing rivalry between J.R. and Bobby Ewing's sons. It is interesting to watch as the storyline is just as much drama as the original and has several actors from the original show.

Dallas: Complete Seasons 1-14

Dallas - The Complete First Three Seasons

From the Museum, after a brief tour of the grounds, the tour continues in the mansion. From Jock's Living Room, the mansion tour guide provides an interesting history of the house, grounds, and the show. From here, you are free to tour the mansion and the grounds at your leisure. Tours of the mansion began in 1988, and include access to all rooms, which have been decorated in the style that would make a Ewing proud. Each room is named after a Ewing, with the upstairs decorated lavishly for J.R. himself, with a bedroom and bathroom. Memorabilia can be seen throughout the buildings on the ranch, including Jock Ewing's Lincoln Continental, with a mere 35,000 miles on the odometer.

Dallas: The Complete Story of the World's Favorite Prime-time Soap

Actual show filming by Lorimar Productions was primarily done in the MGM Studios in California, with scenes filmed outside the house during the summer, in deference to the owners at the time. As fans become aware of on their visit to the mansion, wide angle cameras were used in filming to make everything look larger, especially the pool area. The kitchen is decorated as it appeared in the show. For the Return to Southfork reunion show filmed in October 2004, the inside of the mansion was used for filming.

Dallas: The Movie Collection

The Southfork Ranch has expanded in recent years to host a wide range of special events, conferences, meetings, weddings, gift shops, and Miss Ellie's Deli.

We would like to thank Forever Resorts and the ranch for assisting with our feature.

Location:
3700 Hogge Road, Parker, Texas
972-442-7800 / 972-442-5259 fax or visithere.
View detailed map to Southfork Ranch.

Read our Feature on the Southfork Hotel, conveniently located just 8 miles from the ranch

Check out these books and DVDs of the series:

Dallas - The Series on DVD

Hello Darlin' - Tales About My Life - Larry Hagman

25 Years of Dallas

Watching Dallas

The Complete Book of Dallas

Dallas Hotels